9,300 research outputs found

    Reflection of a wave off a surface

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    Recent advances in twistor theory are applied to geometric optics in R3{\Bbb{R}}^3. The general formulae for reflection of a wavefront in a surface are derived and in three special cases explicit descriptions are provided: when the reflecting surface is a plane, when the incoming wave is a plane and when the incoming wave is spherical. In each case particular examples are computed exactly and the results plotted to illustrate the outgoing wavefront.Comment: 14 pages, AMS-LATE

    On C2^2-smooth Surfaces of Constant Width

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    A number of results for C2^2-smooth surfaces of constant width in Euclidean 3-space E3{\mathbb{E}}^3 are obtained. In particular, an integral inequality for constant width surfaces is established. This is used to prove that the ratio of volume to cubed width of a constant width surface is reduced by shrinking it along its normal lines. We also give a characterization of surfaces of constant width that have rational support function. Our techniques, which are complex differential geometric in nature, allow us to construct explicit smooth surfaces of constant width in E3{\mathbb{E}}^3, and their focal sets. They also allow for easy construction of tetrahedrally symmetric surfaces of constant width.Comment: 14 pages AMS-LATEX, 5 figure
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